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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30075078">the bandage before the cut (Nico &amp; Will)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CruelRage/pseuds/CruelRage'>CruelRage</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Will Solace, Fluff, Gay Nico di Angelo, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Fluff, Post-The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:21:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,174</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30075078</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CruelRage/pseuds/CruelRage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Will tries to keep the fading slowly making its way up Nico's arms to a minimum. Nico tries to keep from falling head over heels for another unattainable boy. Starts where Blood of Olympus left off.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo &amp; Will Solace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. into the infirmary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>     “So, uh, three days in the infirmary. What exactly am I going to be doing?” Nico was standing smack in the middle of the bustling infirmary, doing his best not to fidget. Once he had finished his unbelievably awkward conversation with Percy and Annabeth, Will had ushered the two of them inside. Nico had expected to be thrown into… whatever Will wanted from him immediately, but that was not the case. As soon as they had stepped through the door, three of his siblings had rushed up to him with questions, updating him on the status of his patients and asking for directions and advice. It made Nico wonder how he had managed to slip away long enough to chew him out for not visiting. Nico knew he had a lot of responsibility, what with being the head counselor of Cabin 7 after Michael had passed, but he’d never actually seen Will in action in the infirmary. It took Will a moment to answer, finishing something he’d been writing on a clipboard his sister Kayla was holding out to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Well, death breath, the first thing you’ll be doing is taking a nice long nap.” Will flashed him a grin and turned to stride through the beds full of campers. Nico’s feet stuttered before he quickly followed after.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Death breath? You can’t call me that. And I don’t need to sleep, just give me a job.” Will ignored him, holding a curtain at the end of the building aside and gesturing for Nico to step inside. Nico grudgingly complied, trying to ignore the way his stomach was dancing. The area Will had taken him to was a makeshift room, cordoned off with a large white curtain. There was a typical infirmary bed, complete with white sheets and numerous pillows, a metal night table, a plush armchair, and a window with pale yellow curtains that did nothing to block the sunlight streaming in. Will stepped into the room (if you could call it that, it was more a corner with a screen), pulling the curtain closed behind him. Nico stepped aside, giving Will more space so they wouldn’t have to brush up against each other, not that Will noticed at all. He seemed completely comfortable with his surroundings, oblivious and unconcerned with whether or not he was touching Nico. He had that same easy grace that Nico had noticed during the battle, all unhurried movements and leisurely gestures. Even when he was berating him, there was an air of relaxation, as if he wasn’t actually all that upset. It was unsettling for Nico, who was used to the quick tempers and irreversible judgements of ghosts and gods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Here you are, your Deathliness. Take a seat while I grab your chart.” Will turned to rifle through the bedside table, leaving Nico to splutter at the end of the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What- Why do you keep calling me ridiculous names? Is it that hard to stick to Nico?” Nico could see Will’s smile as he pulled back from the table, clipboard in hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Nicknames make everything more fun, skeleton boy, and didn’t I tell you to sit down?” Will pointed to the armchair, getting that same stern look in his eyes that he’d had outside of the infirmary. Nico sat down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Right, so… What’s the clipboard for?” Will tapped his pen against the board, leaning back against the nightstand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “When was the last time you had a full night’s rest?” Nico blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What? I- I don’t know, why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Uh because you’re starting to look more like one of those zombies you like to conjure up so much than a demigod,” Will said in a </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘duh’</span>
  </em>
  <span> tone of voice, pointing an accusatory pen at him. “Have you slept at all in the past week?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Why does that matter? I slept for, like, three days a bit ago so I’m fine.” Will peered at him and he crossed his arms over his chest, happy he’d been able to track down a change of clothes that wasn’t neon orange.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You’re saying you slept for three days straight? When was this?” Nico sighed and tried to think about it. He thought over the battle with Lycaon, Reyna’s kidnapping, and that final, terrible confrontation with Bryce Lawrence. Actually, Nico decided, he didn’t want to think about any of that at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I don’t know,” he said instead. “I wasn’t exactly making sure I got my full 8 hours when hauling ass with the Athena Parthenos on my back. I was kind of under a time crunch.” It came out sharper than he’d intended, but Will didn’t seem phased. He just nodded and jotted something down on that clipboard of his. Nico scowled. “What does it matter, anyway? I thought I was just here to cut bandages and… I don’t know, actually, because you haven’t told me anything.” Will looked up at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I told you, the first thing you’re going to do is get some rest. But before you can do that, you have to tell me what knocked you out for 72 hours so I can be sure I’m not sending you headfirst into a coma.” Nico rolled his eyes, privately thinking a coma wouldn’t be half bad when the fate of the world wasn’t relying on him dragging a statue halfway across the planet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Reyna and I ran into some trouble getting the Athena Parthenos here. I took care of it, but it sapped my strength so I was out for three days. We made it in time, though.” Will clicked his tongue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Is that why you’re going transparent? I thought that was because of all the shadow traveling.” He sighed, picking up his clipboard again and clicking the pen. “Alright, when you wake up you’re going to have to tell me what, exactly, ‘I took care of it’ means, then we can start planning a regimen to get you back into top shape.” Nico balked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What? No way! I don’t need any of that.” Nico wasn’t here to be treated, he was here to help Will out and be a… friendly face, or something. Being put on a </span>
  <em>
    <span>regimen</span>
  </em>
  <span> was not part of the plan. Will, however, did not look convinced. He pinned Nico with a stare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You need what I tell you you need. And right now, that’s rest. So get in, get comfy, and I’ll grab Clovis so he can send you off.” Will ushered him out of his chair and toward the bed, shooing him with those electrified hands of his. Nico stayed well out of reach, glaring once he sat on the bed. “Oh, and shoes off. Can’t have you getting the sheets all muddy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You’re not in charge of me. And no way I’m letting Clovis anywhere near my dreams.” Will gave him another pointed look, making Nico wonder how a son of Apollo could be so intimidating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “For the next 3 days I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>in charge of you, and it would be in your best interest not to fight me on this.” He crossed the room toward the dividing curtain. “I’m only here to help, and I know what I’m doing, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.” With that, Will shot him a reassuring grin and swept out of the room. Nico sat there in stunned silence for a long moment, trying to catch up with what had just happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     No one talked to him like that. People might talk </span>
  <em>
    <span>about </span>
  </em>
  <span>him behind his back, sure, but no one had dared challenge him to his face, not in years. Nico wondered at the warm feeling in his chest. He leaned back against the pillows stacked on the bed and stared at the ceiling. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride</span>
  </em>
  <span>, whatever in Hades dark realm </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> meant. He sighed, kicking his shoes off and letting them thunk to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     He didn’t know if he even knew how to sit back or relax. It had been years since he’d been in a safe, stable environment. Since he was 12, all he could remember was running and fighting for his life, like his fight or flight response was permanently stuck in the ‘on’ position. Even sitting here, safe in a bed in the infirmary and more exhausted than he could ever remember being, his mind was on full alert. He knew he could fight his way out of this situation, even make one last shadow jump if he really needed to. But honestly, his days on the run with the Athena Parthenos were catching up to him. Maybe Will was right, maybe if he just closed his eyes… Before Nico could begin to reconsider, he was washed away into the depths of Hypnos’ realm.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>     For the first few minutes of his dream, Nico was sure he was awake. He was with his mother, Maria, and Bianca in their little Italian townhouse. Nico was completely oblivious to the world outside, to the war brewing and the gods who were taking sides. All he knew was his mother, his sister, and the upbeat tune of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Quando canto Rabagliati</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His earliest memories were of his mother turning the radio on to that song and swinging the two of them, squealing, around in the living room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nico would give anything to go back to that moment, to live in it for even a few minutes more. He’d trade everything that had happened in the last four years, all the heartbreak and terror and misery, for five more minutes with his mother and Bi, dancing to the voice of Alberto Rabagliati.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     But he couldn’t. He couldn’t live in that moment, not even in a dream. The illusion began to fall, and Nico pushed past it. He hadn’t meant to get caught up in the memory, had every intention to never look at those crystalline, perfect moments ever again because when it all came crashing down, when he woke up to his reality, it was like losing them all over again. He’d made the mistake of letting sleep sneak up on him. It had been so long since he’d fallen asleep because he could rather than because his body demanded it that he hadn’t been able to set his mind on a destination. He wouldn’t let it happen a second time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     I am the son of Hades. I go where I wish. The darkness is my birthright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     The mantra pushed him past the cloying memories, through the good and bad, toward that blissful nothingness. There was a middle ground in unconsciousness, a spot between dream and nightmare where there was nothing at all. That’s where Nico usually aimed when he didn’t have a goal in mind. There, he moved away from the realm of Morpheus and fell, unconscious, into the arms of Pasithea, Goddess of relaxation.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>     When he came to, light was no longer streaming through the pale yellow curtains and Will was nowhere to be found. Instead, Clovis was snoring away in the armchair in the corner. Nico pushed himself into a seated position, surprised to find himself under the covers. His mind neatly skirted around the question of who, exactly, had tucked him away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Clovis,” he hissed, disoriented and unsure of the time. Clovis didn’t stir. “Clovis,” he said again, picking up a pen from the night table and throwing it at him. It hit him square between the eyes, but he didn’t so much as flinch. Nico sighed. He didn’t know what he expected from the head of the Hypnos Cabin. Clovis was really only any help when he was asleep, and even then ‘help’ was too of a strong word. Nico reached down to grab his combat boots, prepared to go waste some time in the combat arena since he wasn’t getting back to sleep when the curtain around his bed parted. He froze for a moment before Will’s shock of blonde hair popped in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Oh, you’re awake.” His voice was gruff and sleepy, his eyes half-lidded and doing strange things to Nico’s stomach. “You were out for a while.” Will scrubbed at his face and crossed to sit at the end of the bed. He was wearing a ratty old Camp Halfblood shirt with a hole near the collar and a blue pair of fuzzy plaid pajama pants. He glanced at the shoes Nico was wearing and raised his eyebrows. “Going somewhere?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I was going to go train for a while,” Nico said truthfully. Will narrowed his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Without a word to anyone? When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that you need to </span>
  <em>
    <span>rest?</span>
  </em>
  <span> And what happened to giving me three days, huh? Surely you weren’t going to skip out on me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I agreed to three days, I didn’t say anything about the nights,” Nico replied petulantly. He didn’t think Will would take it, but he didn’t want to let Will just boss him around without any trouble. He was a son of Hades, after all, and he didn’t take orders from pretty Apollo kids. Will just snorted at him, though, and leaned forward to unzip Nico’s shoes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Oh no you don’t, don’t go trying to logic your way out of our agreement. Three days, mister. That means a full 72 hours.” Nico gaped at him, a little horrified, and a little awed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What are you doing?” He didn’t know whether to be indignant or amazed. He felt like his skin was on fire even though Will was barely touching him. He pulled Nico’s other shoe off and set the pair at the end of the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Getting you back to bed. I’m not saying all this just to hear myself talk, y’know. I’m really here to help you, but if you’re going to fight me every step of the way it’s going to be unpleasant for the both of us.” He had a disgruntled look on his face and Nico was startled to think that he’d actually upset him. He picked uncertainly at the bedding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I wasn’t trying to fight you on it, I just don’t know what you expect me to do. I’m not going to sit in bed all day. I can’t.” Will looked at him for a few long seconds before getting up to pull the curtains of the window open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Of course I don’t expect you to stay in bed all day,” he said. Nico could see the first rays of dawn peeking over the edge of the strawberry fields. “Besides, we need to get you out in the sun. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re practically skeletal. Your skin is just </span>
  <em>
    <span>begging</span>
  </em>
  <span> for some Vitamin D, ZomBoy.” Nico flushed, cursing his raitorous pale skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I’m Italian,” he said, scooting out of the patch of sunlight the window let in, “that’s just how I am.” Will snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I’m not saying you have to tan, I’m just saying your skin shouldn’t be translucent.” He reached out and tugged Nico’s arm into the sunlight, making it obvious that you could see through it. “Literally.” Nico snatched his arm back, embarrassed and overstimulated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     He’d never had this problem before. He wasn’t used to fading out like this, and he definitely wasn’t used to people voluntarily touching him. He’d overheard campers saying he radiated death, that they got a bad feeling whenever he came into a room. He was used to this, of course. He’d been an outcast for years, and he didn’t blame people for avoiding him; he wouldn’t want to touch him either. But then came Will, brazen and cavalier. He bossed him around and casually touched him and broke all the rules Nico had made for himself. It was terrible and thrilling and confusing all at the same time. Will, of course, was oblivious to just how thoroughly he was turning Nico’s life on its head. He peered at Nico from his position by the window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Hades kids aren’t really vampires, right? You’re not going to burn up if I put you in the sun?” Despite himself, Nico’s lips twitched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “No, I won’t burst into flames or anything. If you get me up before noon, though, that’s when we’ll start to have problems.” Will grinned at his poor attempt at humor, smile blinding in the early morning sun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Joke’s on you, sunshine. We are up </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> before noon.” He clapped his hands together and bent down to pull that damned clipboard from the nightstand. Nico only just contained his groan. “Great, now that you’re up we can get a history going for you and start figuring out ways to make you a little more corporeal, hm?” He rifled through the nightstand a bit longer before frowning at Nico. “Did you steal my pen?” Nico blinked and pointed at Clovis’ chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “He wasn’t waking up,” he explained when Will picked up his pen with a glare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Pens are not for throwing, di Angelo.” Nico just shrugged and resituated so he was sitting cross-legged. He had a feeling he was going to be here a while, telling the entire story of his journey to will. He may as well get comfortable.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>     Two hours and one sore throat later, Nico got to when they arrived at Camp Halfblood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “So, yeah. Then you ran into me and we sabotaged the Romans and… you know the rest,” Nico said, setting down the glass of water Will had fetched for him halfway through the story. This was easily the most Nico had talked since he’d lived with Bianca. Surprisingly, though, Will made for a good listener. And even more surprisingly, Nico hadn’t hated it. It had been hard to start, and even harder to get through the Bryce Lawrence debacle, but he’d done it. He felt sort of… relieved. He hadn’t had a full conversation with someone in quite a while. It made him feel real again, and a little less like his Ghost King moniker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Will was sprawled with his legs thrown over the armchair he’d kicked Clovis out of earlier when the story had gotten more harrowing. The infirmary was just starting to wake up, the sounds of people moving outside of their little room floating through the curtain. Will hadn’t interrupted much during the story, mostly letting Nico talk. Now he had a concentrated look on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “And when did you say the fading started?” Nico considered it for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “About a week before we reached camp. It was only with Reyna’s strength that I was able to make it.” Will nodded, still thinking hard about something. He seemed to figure it out after a second, though, because he threw his long legs into a sitting position and strode over to where Nico was on the bed. “May I?” Nico panicked for a second, heart stuttering painfully in his chest, before he remembered what Will had said during the battle. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I could feel the darkness in your hand as soon as I touched it. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He was probably going to try and gauge how much darkness Nico had left in his system. Will was looking at him, calmly, expectantly, and Nico nodded, tentatively holding out his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Will’s hand was warm and dry in his, but that electrical current was as strong as ever. Nico swallowed, watching anxiously as Will closed his eyes in concentration. They sat that way for a few minutes, Nico taught with nerves, Will fiercely focused. After Nico felt that just about all of his nerves had been fried, Will pulled back. Nico slumped a bit and watched expectantly as he brushed his hair away from where it had fallen into his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Well, the good news is that it isn’t permanent.” Nico’s stomach bottomed out. Permanent. This fading thing could have been </span>
  <em>
    <span>permanent</span>
  </em>
  <span>? He felt a tremble begin in his hands and he tucked them under his thighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What’s the bad news?” This was just his luck. Only the gods would curse him as a reward for stopping the war of the century and saving their godly asses. Why he thought things would go any other way was beyond him. He had always gotten the worst end of things, nothing would change that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “The bad news is that this will take more than just some R&amp;R to fix.” Nico shook his head slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “R&amp;R?” He asked faintly, mind spiraling off in a million directions. Will’s eyes met his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “It means rest and relaxation. Listen, Nico, we can fix this. It’ll be a bit of work, but you’ll be fully corporeal in no time, okay?” He was looking at Nico so intently that he had to nod in response, even if it felt like his life was once again falling apart. Will echoed his nod and leaned back against the bedpost. “Alright, the first order of business is to figure out what will dispel the darkness the best. Off the top of my head, I’m thinking sun lamps, whatever mud Coach was using, and a little of my own healing magic.” He listed each of his ideas on his fingers, ticking them off, then started scribbling on his clipboard. “The three days I’m keeping you here can be spent catching up on your sleep and figuring out how best I can help you. After that, I’ll create a schedule filled with activities designed to get you back to fully corporeal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nico let Will’s voice wash over him. He was surprised he could still even feel panic. He thought the years of near-constant terror would numb him to it, but this was different. Death he could deal with. Death was familiar, secure. As long as he was buried with a drachma, he had nothing to worry about. He knew he had a place in his father’s palace, and he had plenty of friends in the Underworld, plenty to do. Fading away, however - that was a whole other ballgame. He didn’t even know if fading away would count as death, if he would cross the River Styx into his father’s domain or if he would simply… cease to exist. The not knowing was infinitely more terrifying. He didn’t know how other mortals lived with the questioning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Nico?” Nico’s head snapped up to see Will’s hand on his arm. Nico met his concerned eyes. “You’re feeling a little dark there.” Nico pulled his arm away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What, like you can sense my mood?” Will shrugged, folding his hands in his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I dunno. I don’t think I can sense your emotions or anything, but there’s definitely more darkness now than there was a moment ago.” Well that was no good, that was no good at all. Nico had certain feelings that he did not want to see the light of day. He shifted uncomfortably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “So, uh, how long do you think this might take, then?” He didn’t know what he would do if he couldn’t access his powers. He’d spent too much time being weak and powerless. If he had to go back to that? Nico didn’t think he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I’m not sure,” Will said, eyes lingering on where he’d touched Nico’s arm. He looked back over his notes. “I’ll have to study how each of my methods affects the darkness, then I can give you an estimate. Sound good?” Nico sighed. It was better than nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “When do we start?” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Pretty please drop a kudos or comment if you enjoyed &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. the sun lamp debacle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>    “Do you think it’s working?” Nico sat under one of Will’s so-called sun lamps in a cleared out room just for him. Soon after sunrise, Will had conferred with his cabin mates and lugged out the large sun lamp as the first test against Nico’s inner darkness. The lamp was basically a giant film light that the Hephaestus and Apollo kids had worked to imbue with actual sunlight. It was very bright and very hot and Nico was extremely</span> <span>uncomfortable.</span></p><p>
  <span>     Will peeked around the lamp, the light making his blonde hair glow in a halo around his head. Nico had to close his eyes against it, sun spots dancing in his vision.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Give it a little longer, we need to test each method for five minutes so we can accurately compare them.” Nico scowled. He had only been sitting under the light for a few minutes, but it was already giving him a headache.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “We couldn’t have done this in one-minute increments?” He muttered, eyes still closed. The lamp was sending prickles of uncomfortable heat washing down his back, the concentrated light burning through his closed eyelids. He tried to sit still, tried to find a center of calm, but he really despised the way he could feel the sun on his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     His mind wandered as he sat ensconced in heat and light. It seemed kind of ridiculous what he was doing. He was a child of Hades for gods’ sakes. His domain was underground, in the darkest corners of the world. He wasn’t meant to sit inches from a mini-sun, roasting under its glare. Why he’d let Will talk him into doing one of the things he hated most - sitting in direct sunlight - was beyond him. Damn, the heat was really intense. He tugged unconsciously at the collar of his black hoodie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Is it supposed to be this hot?” He asked, swiping at a bead of sweat on his temple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “The idea is to give you the opposite of what’s making you fade. Hopefully the lamp will chase out the darkness.” Nico huffed, unzipping his sweatshirt halfway. It felt more like the lamp was </span>
  <em>
    <span>burning</span>
  </em>
  <span> out the darkness, or just burning in general. The weight of the heat and light on his skin was suffocating, smothering in its intensity. He was reminded unpleasantly of the waters of the Phlegethon, and his stomach dipped nauseously at the thought. He tried to control his breathing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Nico? Are you feeling alright?” Will’s voice came swimming from behind the light. Nico grimaced and tried to squint his eyes open. He could barely make out Will’s silhouette now, and had to close his eyes a second later. A bead of sweat dropped onto his hand, unnaturally warm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “It’s a little hot, Will,” he said, trying to shield his eyes. “And bright. Does that thing have a lower setting?” He rubbed at his eyes, hearing Will shuffle about. After a moment, the heat abated a little, but he still couldn’t open his eyes. Sweat sluiced down his neck, making his hair stick to him. “Seriously, Will, just turn it off.” He could feel the skin of his face flushing, and it was like someone was pouring hot water over his shoulders and back. He had never been claustrophobic, but it began to feel as if he couldn’t get enough air. Wildly, he reached for his powers. The ground shifted beneath his feet, but before he could manage anything, a pair of hands gripped his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Here, come on Nico, get up,” he heard Will say, but it was garbled, like someone had shoved his head underwater. Nico staggered to his feet, Will pulling him by the elbow. His legs felt useless beneath him, and his skin was scorching where Will touched him. Luckily, Will let Nico use him as a crutch as he guided him away from that nauseating lamp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     They took a dozen painful steps, and Nico heard a door click shut before he was ensconced in sweet, sweet darkness. He groaned in relief and slumped to the floor, Will helping him down gently. He didn’t even notice how Will’s hands left him for a moment before the sensation of icy water slid down his neck and back. The difference in temperatures was almost painful, but Nico grit his teeth through it. Anything to get away from that oppressive heat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nico felt as if he had been fried from the inside out. He didn’t know how long he sat there, back slumped against a cool stone wall, letting the heat leech out of him. He was vaguely aware of Will’s presence, and every so often his peace was interrupted by freezing water pouring over his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     After about 15 washes of ice water, Nico pried his eyes open. The room was completely black except for a crack of light spilling out from under the door. Nico slid his gaze away from it. He could just see Will sitting across from him, a dripping rag in hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Hey,” Nico croaked, his throat dry and scratchy. Will lifted his head and squinted at him in the dark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Hey,” he said, leaning forward and patting at the ground until his hand landed on Nico’s foot. “How are you feeling?” Nico shrugged, skin still a little sensitive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Like someone tried to roast me over a spit.” Will cringed and squeezed his ankle, thankfully not touching his skin. He didn’t know if he could deal with feeling Will’s particular brand of electricity right about then. “What exactly happened?” Will shook his head, leaving his hand on Nico’s ankle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I’m not entirely sure. You reacted poorly to the sun lamp, that much is obvious. Instead of helping, it completely overheated you. I shut it off when you asked me to lower the setting, but it was like you didn’t even notice. I think you tried to stop it with your powers, so I moved you into the bathroom with all the lights off and tried to cool you down. Are you feeling better?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nico rubbed at his face, reaching down to rezip his hoodie. “Yeah,” he said. “Oddly enough, I’m really cold now.” It was as if the lamps had filled him with heat and then completely burnt him out. Now that he was in the dark again, all his warmth had been drained from him. He felt colder than he could ever remember being.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Will nodded seriously at him. “I don’t think it’d be wise to move you out of the dark, but if you’re really that chilly…” He trailed off and Nico let him think, thunking his head back against the wall and watching him consider. After a moment, he had an idea. “Oh! I know exactly how I can warm you up.” He leaned far forward, sparking something in Nico’s stomach, and squeezed his ankle. Nico was suddenly very aware that they were alone in a small, dark room. “Here, you may want to close your eyes.” Even though he was completely exhausted, Nico’s traitorous pulse picked up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Um, o-okay,” he managed. Was he insane to think that Will was going to… No, that lamp was making him crazy. Nothing about Will suggested that he was… Whatever, Nico just let his eyes flutter closed, other senses immediately going on high alert. His breathing seemed excessively loud in the quiet of the room, and he swore he could feel his pulse in his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     He felt like he was playing one of those stupid party games Leo had told him about on the Argo II. What had he called it? A minute in Heaven? That couldn’t be what Will had meant, but his mind was fixated on the idea. He’d never been good at reading social situations, and it wasn’t like he could ask. Perhaps the best course of action would be to sit back, shut up, and wait for Will to do whatever it was he had planned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     For a few seconds nothing happened, and Nico’s mind ran utterly wild. What was Will waiting for? Surely he wasn’t the type to intentionally make him squirm. If he was, Nico was damning the three day agreement and leaving Camp Halfblood for good. He would be able to stand the embarrassment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Just as he was about to open his eyes and ask Will just what, exactly, he thought he was playing at, a small glow formed beyond his eyelids. Before he could react, Will’s hand landed on his arm. Nico gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     It was like Will had dialed up his electric current to eleven. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     The feeling was incredible, more energy than shock. A warm rush of energy poured from Will’s arm into his, dispersing throughout his entire body. Nico had never felt anything like it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nico’s eyes flew open, catching Will’s toothy grin before he jerked back against the wall and broke their connection. The light from Will’s hands dimmed significantly, subdued to just enough of a glow to wash their faces in light. He looked stricken.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Nico? Are you alright?” Nico just panted, staring open-mouthed at him. “Nico?” Will sounded shaken, and it was enough to jog Nico out of his </span>
  <span>reverie</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I’m okay,” he said, staring at the glimmer of Will’s hands. “What… What was that?” Will looked down at his hands, as if surprised that they were still alight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Uh, that was my healing magic.” He looked hesitantly up at Nico. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have tried it so soon after the problem with the sun lamps, I just thought I could warm you up and heal you at the same time.” Nico swallowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “It’s fine. It wasn’t bad or anything, I just wasn’t expecting it,” he said, trying to calm his errant heartbeat. “Who knew healing energy would pack such a punch?” He said under his breathing, touching the place on his arm Will had touched. Will grimaced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I’m sorry,” he said again. “It’s a new ability of mine, and I haven’t really had a chance to test it out. I don’t know my own strength.” Nico nodded uncertainly. He wanted to say something like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what, and you thought you’d test it out on me? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Or, </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t ever touch me without a warning</span>
  </em>
  <span> as he had to Jason in Croatia, but something stopped him. A little devil in his ear whispered that it was because he would be more than happy with Will touching him, but he quickly pushed the thought away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “So you think you’re healing could help with my fading problem?” He asked instead, pulling the sleeves of his hoodie down over his hands. Will gave a quick nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I know it was a lot for you, but even those few seconds seemed to have a real effect on your affliction.” Nico's eyebrows twitched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “My affliction?” Will’s perpetual smile went lopsided and he nudged Nico with a playful foot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Y’know, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dark Nico</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He said the name in a ridiculous stage whisper, and Nico had to fight down both a grin and the urge to smack him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “We are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>calling my fading problem Dark Nico,” he deadpanned. Will held up his illuminated hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Too late, ZomBreath. All nickname decisions are final.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You’ve called me four different names just today!” Will threw back his head and laughed, making Nico’s heart jolt. That laugh was unfair. Really, really unfair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Yeah, well, you’re a special case, Neeks. There’s just too many to choose from, I can’t decide which one I like best.” Nico flushed bright red, his ears buzzing. How was it that Will was constantly taking him by surprise?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You are utterly absurd, you know that?” Nico spluttered, unable to meet Will’s eyes. He wasn’t usually this easily flustered. Usually, it took something big to get a reaction out of him, but it was like Will was made to do just that. Nico felt like he was slowly losing his control over his emotions and reactions. He couldn’t decide whether it was a good thing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I think being absurd my best personality trait,” Will said, all sunny eyes and pink-lipped smiles. Nico shoved the fluttery feeling in his chest down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Being annoying is your best quality?” Will rolled his eyes at Nico’s sardonic tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Yeah, is being a debbie downer yours?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What’s a debbie downer?” Will laughed again, getting to his feet and holding a hand out to Nico.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You’re too much, Nico. Alright, up you pop. We’ve things to do, Bone Brain, and I’ve only got you for two more days.” Nico took his hand hesitantly and let himself be pulled to his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> call me Bone Brain,” he said with a lot more bite than he felt. Will grinned and pulled open the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Yeah, yeah, you’re terrifying, whatever. Out you go.” Will ushered him out of the bathroom, hands back to their normal, non-glowing state. “We know how the sun lamps and my powers affect you. Next, I want to see what some natural sunlight and time outdoors will do. You said you feel more grounded when you’re out in the sun, right?” Nico nodded slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I did,” he said, “but I’m not so sure going back in the sun so soon would be a good idea.” The after effects of that evil lamp still had him shaky, even with Will’s healing energy. Will hummed, guiding the two of them back to the main area of the infirmary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I think you’d be fine, but if you’d like to wait a bit longer that’s totally understandable. Besides, I’ve got some work to catch up on, and I think you’d make a great secretary.” Nico glared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Don’t call me a secretary and I’ll consider helping,” he replied. Will just laughed and clapped him on the back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Oh, yeah. You’ll be great.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>     And that was how Nico was roped in to an afternoon of infirmary work. This was what he had assumed he would be doing before Will had gone all Doctor Sunshine on him. For the next hour, he sat with Will in his office, helping him sort patient forms and catalogue the supplies Hermes had shipped out to them. He was impressed by the sheer amount of work Will got done in a single afternoon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Ugh, okay, the hard part is over,” Will exclaimed, slamming his final patient document onto the pile of completed forms. He sat at a small oak desk while Nico was on a window ledge, feet swinging off the side. Will had insisted Nico got at least a little more Vitamin D before they quit for the day. “Now, we can actually get started on the part I enjoy.” Nico narrowed his eyes at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Why do I have a bad feeling about this,” he asked, setting the book of patient records down on the sill beside him. Will grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Are you saying you don’t want to go on rounds with me? I’m hurt, Nico, really.” Nico gave him an unamused look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You’re not telling me what rounds are on purpose. What are you about to make me do?” Will shrugged not-so-innocently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “It just means I go around to all my patients and check on them. Talk to them a bit, make sure they’re doing alright, both physically and mentally. Battle like that can really take a toll.” Will shot him a pointed look, but Nico missed it, looking down at his silver skull ring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Yeah, well, I think I’ll sit this one out,” he said. “I‘m sure your recovering patients wouldn’t appreciate the son of the god of the Underworld hovering nearby.” Will scoffed, making Nico look up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What did I tell you about all that broody crap? Leave it at the door, dude. No one here cares who your godly parent is, and you agreed to help. So get up, Kayla’s expecting me soon.” Will stood from the desk, gathering the patient charts he’d spread all around. Nico scowled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “It’s not ‘broody crap’,” he ground out, crossing his arms. “I’m not an idiot, I can tell when people are put off by me, it’s happened all my life. Don’t pretend it’s not obvious that people would rather eat rocks than stand within five feet of me, especially those who have recently had a near death experience.” Will rolled his eyes, as if he were being ridiculous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “It’s not that serious, Neeks. It might take some getting used to, but if you just let people get to know you, they won’t be scared of you.” Nico shook his head irritably, ignoring the stupid nickname.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You don’t get it, people don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to get to know me.” Will scoffed again, waving his hand dismissively. It pissed Nico off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I thought you got over this crap when you decided to stay. Nobody has pushed you away, you did that well enough on your own. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> if you tried to get to know people instead of insisting that they hated you, more people would give you a chance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You don’t know what you’re talking about-” Nico growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Yes, I do,” Will interrupted, sounding irritated now as well. “You don’t realize that I’ve been at camp as long as you have, Nico. I was here through it all. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>decided to leave the first time. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>decided that everyone hates you, gods know why. You have been sabotaging yourself this entire time, just give it a rest! Why can’t you give people a chance?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Why should I give people chances when all they do is leave me?!” Nico shouted, frost spiking across the window. “No matter what I do, no matter where I go, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m </span>
  </em>
  <span>the outcast! I’m the weirdo who talks to ghosts, the freaky little kid whose own sister wanted rid of him so bad that she joined the hunters as soon as she could. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> all my life has ever been, and that’s all it’s ever going to be.” Will stared at him, taken aback by his outburst. Nico let out a shaky breath and turned away from him, trying to push back the wave of emotions taking about Bianca had brought. “Even when I went to New Rome, where no one knew me, it was the same,’ he muttered. “It’s my life, and I’m used to it, but you don’t get to pretend it’s my fault.” The room was silent for a moment before Will sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Have you ever considered,” he asked quietly, “that maybe people don’t avoid you because of your father or because of your powers, but because you’re so dead set on being hated?” Nico dropped his head, trying to settle his breathing. “You’ve ingrained being alone so thoroughly into your personality that you can’t even consider that some people might actually want to be your friends.” Nico swallowed painfully against the lump in his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Will crossed the room to stand in front of him. “We’re here, Nico,” he said, voice horrifically gentle. “Me, Jason, Reyna - we’re all here. You just have to try.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Nico’s head was a mess, a mix of anger and resentment and deep, unrelenting misery. How could Will make it out as if it was his fault? All Nico had ever wanted was his family, to have people who would accept him. But every time he got close to someone, they were ripped away. His mother, Bianca, Percy. What was the point of trying to make friends if all they’d do was judge and fear him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Will laid a hand on his shoulder and he jerked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I’m going to bed,” he said, quickly crossing to the door. He paused in the doorway when Will said his name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You’re free to join me at any time, Neeks,” he said softly. Nico nodded, nickname leaving a bitter taste in his mouth, and pulled the door closed behind him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Pretty please consider dropping a kudos or comment if you enjoyed&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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